2. The main menu bar includes drop-down menu selections.

The main menu is discussed further in

section 4.8.2 (Menu Bar).
3. The Main Toolbar includes commands and other icons. The Main Toolbar is discussed in further
detail in section 4.8.3 (Main Toolbar).
4. The Graphical Editor displays single line diagrams, block diagrams and/or simulation plots of the
active project. Studied networks and simulation models can be directly modified from the graphical
editor by placing and connecting elements.
5. When an object is right clicked (in the graphical editor or in the data manager) a context sensitive
menu with several possible actions appears.
6. When an object is double clicked its edit dialogue will be displayed. The edit dialogue is the
interface between an object and the user. The parameters defining the object are accessed
through this edit dialogue. Normally an edit dialogue is composed of several “pages". Each
page groups parameters that are relevant to a certain function. In Figure 4.8.1 the Load Flow
page of a generator is shown, where only generator parameters relevant to load flow calculations
are shown.
7. The “Data Manager" is the direct interface with the database. It is similar in appearance and
functionality to a Windows Explorer window. The left pane displays a symbolic tree representation
of the complete database. The right pane is a data browser that shows the content of the currently
selected folder. The data manager can be accessed by pressing the Data Manager icon ( )
on the left of the main toolbar. It is always ’floating’, and more than one can be active at a
time. Depending on how the user navigates to the Database Manager, it may only show the
database tree for selecting a database folder, or it may show the full database tree. The primary
functionality of the Data Manager is to provide access to power system components/objects. The
data manager can be used to edit a group of selected objects within the data manager in tabular
format. Alternatively, objects may be individually edited by double clicking on an object (or rightclick
→ Edit).
8. The output window is shown at the bottom of the PowerFactory window. The output window cannot
be closed, but can be minimized. The output window is discussed in further detail in section 4.8.4
(The Output Window).
9. The “Project Overview" window is displayed by default on the left side of the main application
window between the main toolbar and the output window. It displays an overview of the project
allowing the user to assess the state of the project at a glance and facilitating easy interaction with
the project data.
4.8.2 Menu Bar
The menu bar contains the main PowerFactory menus. Each menu entry has a drop down list of menu
options and each menu option performs a specific action. To open a drop down list, either click on the
menu entry with the left mouse button, or press the Alt key together with the underlined letter in the
menu. Menu options that are shown in grey are not available, and only become available as the user
activates projects or calculation modes, as required.

This chapter provides information on how to configure the program, and how to log on. More Detailed
descriptions of the installation, database settings and additional information on these topics can be
found in the PowerFactory Installation Manual.
5.1 Program Installation and Configuration
In general there are 3 main questions to be answered before installing the software, the answers to
these questions will determine the installation settings:
• License: Where should the license key(s) reside?
• Installation: Where should PowerFactory be installed?
• Database: Where should the database reside?
Once PowerFactory has been set up in a computer PowerFactory can be started directly by clicking
either on the shortcut on the Desktop or by selecting PowerFactory in the Windows start menu. PowerFactory
will start automatically and create a User account when logging on for the first time. As a
default user name for PowerFactory the User name from Windows will be used if the user is working in a
single-user-database environment. In case more users accounts have been created a Log-On dialogue
will pop up and the User can select the User name used for the session. The user will be asked to enter
a password if the user has defined a password for the user account.
In a multi-user-database installation (see Chapter 6: User Accounts, User Groups, and Profiles) new
accounts and passwords are created by the administrator. The Administrator account is created when
installing PowerFactory and is used to create and manage user’s accounts in a multi-user environment
(see Chapter 6: User Accounts, User Groups, and Profiles). To log on as administrator, the shortcut from
the Windows Start Menu can be used. As default the administrator account password is Administrator.
When already running a PowerFactory session, the user can select Tools → Switch User in the main
menu to log-on as Administrator.
For further information about the roll of the database administrator please refer to Section 6.2: The
Database Administrator.
Changes to the default settings of the installation settings can be carried out by means of the ’SetConfig’
dialogue. This dialogue can be found in the Windows Start menu. Through the Database and Licence
tabs of the SetConfig dialogue, the answers to the questions above are provided and the program
installation is configured. Administrator rights are necessary to perform changes to the settings.

5.2 The SetConfig Dialogue

The SetConfig-dialogue is used to apply changes to the Configuration settings. Windows Administration
rights are required.
5.2.1 General
In this page the user can select the application language for the session.
5.2.2 Database
In this page it is specified how the database is going to be used. You can select among:
• A single-user database which resides locally on each computer.
• A multi-user database which resides on an remote server. Here all users have access to the same
data simultaneously. In this case user accounts are created and administrated exclusively by the
Administrator.
DIgSILENT PowerFactory provides drivers for the following multi-user database systems:
• Oracle.
• Microsoft SQL Server.
For further information about the database configuration please refer to the PowerFactory Installation
Manual.
5.2.3 License
In order to run the program, the user is required to define the License Setting in the License page of
the SetConfig-dialogue. The options are described below, more information about the licenses types is
available in the PowerFactory Installation Manual
Demo request
When starting PowerFactory for the first time with this option, the DIgSILENT License Activation dialogue
is opened with the instructions to activate the installation.

This option if for multi-user clients with a network license key which allows access to several users over
a network.
The network license key requires an additional program which is also part of the installation package:
License Server.
When using PowerFactory Server, the computer name or the IP network address of the license server
is required.
Advanced RPC-Settings
If a network license key with protocol based communication is used, the ’Advanced RPC-Settings’ must
be given. These fields, are in the Advanced tab of the License page.
The ’RPC’ settings must be the ones specified in the license server. For detailed information the network
administrator should be consulted, also more information is available in the PowerFactory Installation
Manual.
5.2.4 Workspace
TheWorkspace tab allows the User to set theWorkspace directory and theWorkspace backup directory.
In the Workspace the local database, the result files and the log-files are saved. For more options how
to configure and use the workspace, please refer to chapter 5.3.
5.2.5 External Application
The External Application tab is used to set the Python editor path. This setting is taken by Python
functionality.
5.2.6 Advanced Settings
The advanced program settings should only be changed under the guidance of the DIgSILENT Power-
Factory support (see Chapter 2 Contact)
5.3 Workspace options
By selecting Tools → Workspace in the main menu the user is able to perform several steps as follows.
5.3.1 Show Workspace Directory
The user is able to see the workspace directory by clicking Tools → Workspace→ Show workspace
directory.
5.3.2 Import and Export Workspace
To import the workspace the user can select Tools → Workspace→ Import Workspace.... This is a
convenient way to import the entire workspace after a new installation. Accordingly, to export the
workspace the user can select Tools → Workspace→ Export Workspace.... The package will be saved